Just three in 10 parents take children to dentist for oral pain, says study

A study says NHS England could save millions of pounds if children with oral pain saw their dentist before going to another health worker, as figures showed only 30% of parents took their child to a dentist.

Researchers said there is a "concerning" under-use of dental services after it found that some children have multiple contacts with other health officials such as GPs, nurses or A&E trips.

Experts from Queen Mary University of London examined data on almost 7,000 parents who visited community pharmacies in London to pick up pain medication for their child.

These parents were quizzed on where they had sought help from prior to their pharmacy visit.

Just 30% said they had taken their child to see their dentist and 15% said they had been to see a GP or practice nurse.

Overall, 28% of children had seen between one and four different health professionals.

A total of 31 parents said they had taken their child to A&E and 57 said they had taken their youngster to an NHS walk-in or an urgent care centre.

The researchers, who published their study in the journal BMJ Open, calculated that the NHS spends an estimated £2.3 million every year when children with oral pain inappropriately use multiple health services.

Lead researcher Dr Vanessa Muirhead, from Queen Mary's Institute of Dentistry, said: "The fact that only 30% of children with oral pain had seen a dentist before going to a pharmacy highlights a concerning under-use of dental services.

"Children with oral pain need to see a dentist for a definitive diagnosis and to treat any tooth decay.

"Not treating a decayed tooth can result in more pain, abscesses and possible damage to children's permanent teeth.

"These children had not only failed to see a dentist before their pharmacy visit; they had seen GPs and a range of other health professionals outside dentistry.

"This inappropriate and overuse of multiple health services including A&E is costing the NHS a substantial amount of money at a time when reducing waste is a government priority."